Ii Regum 6
1 Dixerunt autem filii prophetarum ad Eliseum: Ecce locus, in quo habitamus coram te, angustus est nobis.
One day a group of prophets said to Elisha, “Look, this place where we meet together with you is very small.
2 Eamus usque ad Iordanem, et tollant singuli de silva materias singulas, ut ædificemus nobis ibi locum ad habitandum. Qui dixit: Ite.
Allow us to go to the Jordan [River and cut down some trees to make] logs to build a new meeting place.” So Elisha said, “Okay, go.”
3 Et ait unus ex illis: Veni ergo et tu cum servis tuis. Respondit: Ego veniam.
One of them said to Elisha, “Please come with us.” So Elisha replied, “Okay, I will go with you.”
4 Et abiit cum eis. Cumque venissent ad Iordanem, cædebant ligna.
So they went together. When they reached the Jordan [River], they cut down some trees.
5 Accidit autem, ut cum unus materiam succidisset, caderet ferrum securis in aquam: exclamavitque ille, et ait: Heu heu heu domine mi, et hoc ipsum mutuo acceperam.
But while one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly the axe head [separated from the handle and] fell into the water. He cried out to Elisha, “O, Master, what shall I do? [The axe is not mine]; I borrowed it!”
6 Dixit autem homo Dei: Ubi cecidit? At ille monstravit ei locum. præcidit ergo lignum, et misit illuc: natavitque ferrum,
Elisha replied, “Where did it fall into the water?” After the man showed him the place, Elisha cut off a stick, and threw it into the water, and caused the iron axe head to float [on top of the water].
7 et ait: Tolle. Qui extendit manum, et tulit illud.
Elisha said, “Take it out of the water.” So the man reached his hand down and picked up the axe head.
8 Rex autem Syriæ pugnabat contra Israel, consiliumque iniit cum servis suis, dicens: In loco illo, et illo ponamus insidias.
Whenever the king of Syria [prepared to send his army to] fight against Israel, he first consulted his officers, and then told them where they should set up their tents.
9 Misit itaque vir Dei ad regem Israel, dicens: Cave ne transeas in locum illum: quia ibi Syri in insidiis sunt.
But each time, Elisha would send a message to warn the king of Israel, [telling him where the army of Syria was planning to attack them, ] saying, “Be sure that your army does not go near that place, because the army of Syria has set up their tents there.”
10 Misit itaque rex Israel ad locum, quem dixerat ei vir Dei, et præoccupavit eum, et observavit se ibi non semel neque bis.
So the king of Israel would send [messengers] to warn [the people who lived in] that place, and the people would remain on guard. That happened several times.
11 Conturbatumque est cor regis Syriæ pro hac re: et convocatis servis suis, ait: Quare non indicatis mihi quis proditor mei sit apud regem Israel?
The king of Syria was very upset/disturbed/angry about that. So he summoned his army officers and said to them, “[Obviously] one of you is (betraying us/revealing our plans) to the king of Israel. Which one of you is doing it?”
12 Dixitque unus servorum eius: Nequaquam domine mi rex, sed Eliseus propheta, qui est in Israel, indicat regi Israel omnia verba quæcumque locutus fueris in conclavi tuo.
One of his officers answered, “Your Majesty, it is not one of us. Elisha the prophet [knows what we plan to do, and he] tells the king of Israel everything. He even knows what you say in your own bedroom!”
13 Dixitque eis: Ite, et videte ubi sit: ut mittam, et capiam eum. Annunciaveruntque ei, dicentes: Ecce in Dothan.
The king of Syria replied, “Go and find out where he is, and I will send [some men there] to capture him.” Someone told him, “People say that he is in Dothan [town north of Samaria].”
14 Misit ergo illuc equos et currus, et robur exercitus: qui cum venissent nocte, circumdederunt civitatem.
So the king sent a large group of soldiers [to Dothan] with horses and chariots. They arrived at night and surrounded the town.
15 Consurgens autem diluculo minister viri Dei, egressus, vidit exercitum in circuitu civitatis, et equos et currus: nunciavitque ei, dicens: Heu heu heu domine mi, quid faciemus?
Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant got up and went outside the house. He saw the soldiers of Syria with their horses and chariots surrounding the town. So he went inside [the house and reported it to Elisha] and exclaimed, “O, sir! What are we going to do?”
16 At ille respondit: Noli timere: plures enim nobiscum sunt, quam cum illis.
Elisha replied, “Do not be afraid! Those who will be helping us will be more than those who will be helping them!”
17 Cumque orasset Eliseus, ait: Domine, aperi oculos huius, ut videat. Et aperuit Dominus oculos pueri, et vidit: et ecce mons plenus equorum, et curruum igneorum, in circuitu Elisei.
Then he prayed, “Yahweh, I request that you open my servant’s eyes in order that he can see [what is out there]!” So Yahweh enabled the servant to look out and see that surrounding the hill on which the town [was built] was a huge number of horses, and chariots made of fire!
18 Hostes vero descenderunt ad eum: porro Eliseus oravit ad Dominum, dicens: Percute, obsecro, gentem hanc cæcitate. Percussitque eos Dominus, ne viderent, iuxta verbum Elisei.
When the army of Syria prepared to attack Elisha, he prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, cause all these soldiers to become blind!” Yahweh answered his prayer and caused them to be unable to see clearly.
19 Dixit autem ad eos Eliseus: Non est hæc via, neque ista est civitas: sequimini me, et ostendam vobis virum, quem quæritis. Duxit ergo eos in Samariam:
Then Elisha went to them and said, “You are not on the right road; this is not the city that you are searching for. I will take you to the man whom you are searching for.” But he led them to Samaria, [the capital of Israel]!
20 cumque ingressi fuissent in Samariam, dixit Eliseus: Domine aperi oculos istorum, ut videant. Aperuitque Dominus oculos eorum, et viderunt se esse in medio Samariæ.
As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, now enable these soldiers to see correctly again!” So Yahweh enabled them to see correctly, and they were surprised to see that they were inside Samaria [city].
21 Dixitque rex Israel ad Eliseum, cum vidisset eos: Numquid percutiam eos, pater mi?
When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Sir, shall I [tell my soldiers to] kill them? Shall we kill all of them?”
22 At ille ait: Non percuties: neque enim cepisti eos gladio, et arcu tuo, ut percutias: sed pone panem, et aquam coram eis, ut comedant, et bibant, et vadant ad dominum suum.
Elisha replied, “No, you must not kill them. If your army captured many of your enemies in a battle, you would certainly not [RHQ] kill them. Give these men something to eat and drink, and then allow them to return to their king.”
23 Appositaque est eis ciborum magna præparatio, et comederunt, et biberunt, et dimisit eos, abieruntque ad dominum suum, et ultra non venerunt latrones Syriæ in Terram Israel.
So the king of Israel did that. He told his servants to provide a big feast for them. And when they had eaten and drunk plenty, he sent them away. They returned to the king of Syria [and told him what had happened]. So for a while after that, soldiers from Syria stopped raiding/attacking towns in Israel.
24 Factum est autem post hæc, congregavit Benadad rex Syriæ, universum exercitum suum, et ascendit, et obsidebat Samariam.
But some time later, Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, assembled his entire army, and they went to Samaria and surrounded the city [for a long time].
25 Factaque est fames magna in Samaria: et tandiu obsessa est, donec venundaretur caput asini octoginta argenteis, et quarta pars cabi stercoris columbarum quinque argenteis.
Because of that, after a while there was hardly any food left inside the city, with the result that eventually a donkey’s head, [which was usually worthless, ] cost eighty pieces of silver, and (one cup/0.3 liter) of dove’s dung cost five pieces of silver.
26 Cumque rex Israel transiret per murum, mulier quædam exclamavit ad eum, dicens: Salva me domine mi rex.
One day when the king of Israel was walking on top of the city wall, a woman cried out to him, “Your Majesty, help me!”
27 Qui ait: Non te salvat Dominus: unde te possum salvare? de area, vel de torculari? Dixitque ad eam rex: Quid tibi vis? Quæ respondit:
He replied, “If Yahweh will not help you, I certainly cannot [RHQ] help you. I certainly [RHQ] do not have any wheat or wine!
28 Mulier ista dixit mihi: Da filium tuum, ut comedamus eum hodie, et filium meum comedemus cras.
What is your problem?” She replied, “Several days ago, that woman [over there] said to me, ‘[Because we have nothing left to eat, ] let’s kill your son today, in order that we can eat his flesh. Then tomorrow we can [kill] my son [and] eat his flesh.’
29 Coximus ergo filium meum, et comedimus. Dixique ei die altera: Da filium tuum, ut comedamus eum. Quæ abscondit filium suum.
So we [killed my son and cut his body up and] boiled his flesh and ate it. The next day, I said to her, ‘Now give your son to me, in order that we can [kill him and cook his flesh and] eat it.’ But she has hidden her son!”
30 Quod cum audisset rex, scidit vestimenta sua, et transibat per murum. Viditque omnis populus cilicium, quo vestitus erat ad carnem intrinsecus.
When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his robe [to show that he was very distressed]. The people who were standing close to the wall were able to see that the king was wearing rough cloth underneath his robe [because he was very distressed].
31 Et ait rex: Hæc mihi faciat Deus, et hæc addat, si steterit caput Elisei filii Saphat super ipsum hodie.
The king exclaimed, “I wish/hope that God will strike me dead if I do not cut off the head of Elisha today, [because he is the one who has caused these terrible things to happen to us]!”
32 Eliseus autem sedebat in domo sua, et senes sedebant cum eo. Præmisit itaque virum: et antequam veniret nuncius ille, dixit ad senes: Numquid scitis quod miserit filius homicidæ hic, ut præcidatur caput meum? videte ergo, cum venerit nuncius, claudite ostium, et non sinatis eum introire: ecce enim sonitus pedum domini eius post eum est.
So the king sent an officer to get Elisha. Before the officer arrived, Elisha was sitting in his house with some Israeli elders who were talking with him. Elisha said to them, “That murderer, [the king of Israel, ] is sending someone here to kill me. Listen: When he arrives, shut the door and do not allow him to come in. And the king will be coming right behind that officer!”
33 Adhuc illo loquente eis, apparuit nuncius, qui veniebat ad eum. Et ait: Ecce, tantum malum a Domino est: quid amplius expectabo a Domino?
And while he was still speaking, the king and the officer arrived. The king said, “It is Yahweh who has caused us to have all this trouble/suffering. (Why should I wait any longer [RHQ] for him to do something [to help us]?/It is useless for me to wait any longer for him [to help us]!)”
